The World Of Soul

Adab

Manners and culture

The Holy Qur’an writes: : Guard yourselves and guard your kindred against the Fire!"[1] The companion of Prophet Mohammed Ibn ‘Abbas commented on the ayah in the following way: : It means, educate your families and cultivate devotion in them".[2]

 Prophet Mohammed (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him) answered to the compliments on his excellent breeding and devotion : My Lord gave me manners and brought me up in the best way".[3]

 One of the companions of the Prophet Anas ibn Malik, who for ten years had always been close to him and who had helped him in everything during this time, emphasized: : The Apostle of the Most High (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him) would never quarrel with anybody, he would never curse anybody; he has always been extremely well-mannered and would never damn anybody".[4] Another riwayah reads as follows: : I helped the Prophet and I was with him during ten years, and he never said to me “tut-tut!" (an interjection, denoting discontentment). He would never reproach me with the words like: : Why did you do it like this and not like this?"[5]

 Djabir ibn ‘Abdullah reported: : Whatever or whenever one might ask Prophet Mohammed (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him), he would never say “no".[6]

 One of the companions of the Prophet saw him embracing and kissing his grandson al-Hassan. He exclaimed in perplexity: : I have ten children, but I have never kissed anyone of them!" The Prophet said to him: : He who does not fondle, is never fondled either[he who does not show his mercy to others, will never feel the mercy from people and the Most High]".[7]

As far as we, who aspire for the best example given by Prophet Mohammed[8], are concerned, it is necessary for us to undertake great efforts on self-improvement every day. The great imam ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, who possessed a remarkable gift of eloquence and profound wisdom, said:

    “The consciousness and the reliability (of people) have gone just as yesterday went away (irrevocably).

      People (today) are either deceivers[9] or swindlers[10].

  They show to each other good intentions and mutual respect,

      While their hearts swarm with scorpions".[11]

The Holy Qur’an writes: : You are accountable for none but yourselves; he that goes astray cannot harm you if you are on the right path".[12] The ayah does not contradict the social necessity of the counteraction to evil that is mentioned in other ayah and Hadith; on the contrary, it emphasizes the utmost significance of self-improvement. For it is at this very moment that the public opposition to evil and godlessness (on the mercy of the Creator) turns from shallow words, slogans and shouts into that which eradicates evil and revives soul.

 

Some wise statements of theologians

“Monotheism obliges to being faithful. Being faithful obliges to keeping in with canons. Canons oblige man to be prudent. He who lacks prudence, is far from canons, faith and monotheism".

“Guarding oneself presupposes strictly keeping in with what makes man’s deeds and actions great and noble".

“Lack of prudence and good manners requires retirement: if you cannot behave appropriately on the carpet (at home, in public), you will have to stand at the door (you will never enjoy happy life); if you cannot stand at the door decently, look after animals (feed and pasture the cattle)".

“He who can cope with the weak features of his character, who can gain a victory over them and control them, is sincere in worshipping the Most High".

Al-Hassan al-Basri[13] was once asked: : Many people today study the standards of behaviour and prudence before the Lord (adab).What should one first of all pay attention to while doing this, in order to derive maximum benefit from it?" He answered: "(1) one should acquire religious knowledge and understand it and apply it appropriately; (2) one should accept wordly goods properly (one should live in this world with one’s deeds, and in the hereafter- with one’s heart); (3) one should fulfil one’s commitments to the Most High".

 Ibn al-Mubarak[14] said: : We need elementary good manners more than vast and broad knowledge". He also said: : People study culture and ethics, but only he who has known himself, possesses true intelligence and good manners (i.e. he who is well aware of his strong and weak points, can control his impressions and emotions, manages to see them at the embryo stage and to regulate them as he thinks the best)".

 Yes, “only he who knows himself, is a person of culture".

 When Abu Hafs[15] came to Baghdad, he was told: : You gave to your students and companions the education of sultans and kings (you gave them excellent education)". But he answered: : A good breeding (prudence) outside indicates a good breeding (prudence) inside".

 At the same time al-Djuneyd[16] used to say the following: : When love and mutual respect among people are sincere, the conditions of the manifestation of good education are more favourable".

 Zun-nun al-Misri[17] mentioned: : If a student trespasses the limits of decent behaviour, he returns to what he has started from". This means that man must first of all establish firmly in his behaviour all the necessary elements of a good education and prudence and only after that he will be able to understand where and what proportions of indulgence or severity in his behaviour would be appropriate.

 Imam ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, who descended from a noble Arabian family and was a cousin to Prophet Mohammed, said:

      

O, you, sinner, who is ignorantly proud of his noble rank,

    All people were born from a mother and a father.

Have you ever seen somebody being made of silver,

    Or iron, copper or gold?

You but know that clay is everybody’s essence,

    And is there anything apart from meat, bones and nerves?

Verily, you can be proud only of your reason,

    Modesty, chastity and education.[18]

He (Allah’s mercy be upon him) also said:

Cultivate in your children steadfastly from their young age general education and prudence,

   Then your eyes will be filled with joy about what they will see at a great age.

For good breeding and decency, that a child absorbs

   At a young age, is like a picture on the stone (i.e. it will become his essence for the whole life).

This (overall education) is a treasure that is constantly increasing,

   Whereas shocks and troubles of life will not influence them in any way.

An educated person, even if he takes a false step and slips,

    Will fall on that which will be covered with silk.

People can be divided into two categories: the possessors of knowledge and

    Those who listen carefully. The rest are similar to an idle talk and a turbid sediment.[19] 

 

Guarding oneself

“Al-ihsan (true generosity reveals itself when you worship the Creator, the Lord of the world, as if you see Him. And even if you do not see Him, He sees you".[20] Millions of people know these words very well, but, unfortunately, few of them use them in practice.

 Of course, you, human, cannot see Him, for He is not confined either by place, or by time. But on the other hand you can aspire to Him with all your heart that is not bound by physical laws. You can gradually become the one who is prudent in his deeds, actions and words. You can become a person who is prudent to Him! This means you can learn to take a detached view on yourself and to notice your disadvantages, and thus to realize immediately with trepidation and humbleness the Omniscience of Allah, His complete awareness of your deeds, as well as the lack of any limits as far as He is concerned and the fact that He “is closer to you [through His knowledge and awareness] than your carotid artery".[21]

 One of the believers of the first generation once said: : I have not been stretching out my legs, sitting alone for twenty years already. For constant self-guarding and an exemplary behaviour towards the Most High are of primary importance". This means that stretching out one’s legs in public, sitting on the floor, for example, or putting one’s legs on the table, sitting on a chair, is considered to be impolite (in the Muslim ethics). But a good behaviour and prudence should be shown towards the Lord of the world as well, He Who is All-knowing and All-seeing, for He is Holy and Great. One should try to be especially attentive to oneself and to guard oneself in the presence of Allah.

 Ibn Sirin[22] was once asked: : What manifestations of prudence and self-guarding are the closest to the Most High?" The theologian answered: : The cognition of Allah as the Lord (the awareness of His leadership and supremacy to all and everything). The fulfilment of His injunctions. Gratitude to Him, when everything is all right. The manifestation of great patience when everything is bad".

When talking about guarding oneself before Allah it would be useful to pay special attention to certain quotations from the Holy Qur’an:

1. Guarding oneself, manifesting prudence and exemplary behaviour towards the Most High in the Du’a-prayer of Prophet Ayub.

 “And [mention] Ayub when he called on his Lord, saying: "Verily, I am sore afflicted;[23] but of all those that show mercy You [the Most High] are the most merciful!"[24]

 It is wonderful how fine and delicate his behaviour to Allah, the Lord of the world, the Creator is! As far as he himself is concerned, he mentioned only that which can be called a gentle and timid knock on the gate of the mercy of the Lord of the world. While as far as the Most High is concerned he emphasized His infinite and divine mercy. At the same time he did not stipulate for his request! He uttered it with an absolute (spiritual and intellectual) knowledge and confidence in the fact that the Most High is Aware of it.[25]

 Prophet Ayub was very rich, both in children and property. He was an extremely generous person. He would unfailingly call on people for the faith into the Only and Unique God. But at a certain moment of his life he suffered great losses, first he lost his property and then – his children. After overcoming these dramas with calm and patience he faced another trouble – a serious illness affected him. It did not make him look ugly, but it fully deprived him of the physical strength. A number of tragic events had fallen upon him for eighteen years. [26] But he never complained about it. He overcame everything with complete confidence in the mercy of the Creator. His spouse was always near during all these years. She supported him and encouraged him.[27]

 Prophet Ayub prayed to the most High on this subject and in such a brief form only when he broke down completely, only when his physical weakness began to influence the maintenance of Ayub’s high piety and spirituality, when it began to hinder “his sustainable inclination to the Most High with an imploration for mercy and forgiveness"[28] He said: : Verily, I am sorely afflicted; but of all those that show mercy You [the Most High] are the most merciful!" And the answer was given immediately. It reads in the Holy Qur’an as follows: : And We[29] [the Lord says] heard his prayer and relieved his afflictions. We restored to him his family and as many more with them[30]: a blessing from Ourself and an admonition[31] to worshippers".[32]

2. Prudence and self-guarding in the Du’a-prayer of Yunus.

And he [Yunus] cried in deep darkness[33]: “There is no God but You [oh, You are the Most High]! Glory be to You! Verily I have done wrong".[34] We heard his prayer and delivered him from affliction.[35] This is how We shall save the true believers".[36]

 It should be noted that Yunus did not pray for rescue from the mortal danger. He merely emphasized with all his heart and conscience the Unity of the Creator, His grandeur and his own weakness and humbleness.

 Prophet Mohammed (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him) said: : How beautiful is the prayer of Yunus, that he sent up to the Creator out of the womb of the whale, is: : La ihla illa anta. Subhanaka, inni quntu minaz-zolimin"! Whatever a true Muslim may ask from the Creator, invoking Him with this prayer, He will surely hear him".[37]

3. Let us now look at two quotations from the conversation between Prophet Jesus with God, that is described in the Holy Qur’an:

(1) “Then Allah will say: : Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to mankind: : Worship me and my mother as gods beside Allah?" "Glory to You", he will answer, “how could I say that to which I have no right? If I had ever said so, You would have surely known it. You know what is in my mind, but I cannot tell what is in Yours. You alone know what is hidden".[38] Thus, Jesus does not focus on justifying himself. On the contrary, he emphasizes the full awareness of the Creator of everything that is in this world and in the hereafter.

(2) “You are the witness of all things. They are Your own bondsmen [You gave them life, You procured them with great riches and air that they had breathed]: it is for You to punish or to forgive them. You are the Mighty, the Wise One".[39]

 A good behaviour and prudence are of major importance for the true believers. Jesus does not ask directly for blessing and forgiveness for his followers. He underlines the absolute Power, Strength and Wisdom of the Creator. Despite the grandeur and significance of his mission on Earth[40] Jesus realizes his humbleness before God and stresses modestly the Grandeur and Power of the Creator.

Resumé

One of Muslim theologians of the past noted: : One can divide people into three groups from the point of view of their behaviour and manners:

 1. People whose aspirations are restricted by wordly values. These people focus mainly on eloquence, studying various sciences and learning modern foreign expressions (they learn them in order to make a brilliant display of their knowledge in public), learning by heart the names of famous people and separate passages of poetry.

 2. Religious people. They focus on their souls (on their characteristics and peculiarities), on training their bodies, on keeping in with the limits of the permitted and the ability to control their passions and weaknesses.

 3. Those who have known the Most High belong to the highest category. They pay special attention (together with what has been mentioned above) to: (1) high morals;[41] (2) keeping secrets (they do not divulge the secrets both between people and between people and Allah the Most High, i.e. they control their speech, what they say); (3) fulfilling their obligations (both to people and to the Most High); (4) spending their time reasonably (they appreciate the value and the significance of time not only theoretically, but also practically); (5) manifesting utmost modesty and self-reserve when acquiring new knowledge, advice, goods and so on, as well as in the periods of a spiritual enthusiasm. On the contrary, these people do not pay any attention to (6) idle thoughts and shallow trends[42]".[43]

To sum up it would be useful to adduce a statement of Prophet Mohammed (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him).

 His companion Ussama ibn Sharik reported: : We sat near the Prophet (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him) so quietly and calmly as if we carried birds on our heads. We listened to him with utmost attention. Then some Bedouins came to ask their questions. Some of their questions were concerned with difficulties in fulfilling religious obligations. The Messenger of the Most High said: : O, people! Allah laid on you no burdens in the observance of your faith[44] [And He can forgive you for many sins]. The exception is only when one of you has violated the honour and dignity of another. Indeed this is a great sin".[45] This means that a pious believer who guards himself against sins must be extremely prudent and must control his speech and take into account everything that might offence against the dignity of another person. However, this sin cannot be expiated through repentance. On the Day of Judgement people will have to pay for this category of sins with their own good deeds (as we know it from reliable Hadith). But if these wrongdoers have not committed good deeds, they will have to care the burden of the sins of those people whose dignity they have abused.[46]

O, Allah! Verily, we have suffered great losses (especially as far as our inner world and virtues are concerned). You know it the best; but of all those that show mercy You [the Most High] are the most merciful! Bless us and help us in educating ourselves and in cultivating in ourselves at least a grain of prudence and self-guarding that were typical of Your Messenger, Prophet Mohammed (let peace and Allah’s blessing be upon him). Amen.